Improvement in grain-driers



T. WALLACE.

Grain Drier.

Patented Oct.Y 6, 1853.

N. PEYEHs. Phawmhqgnpher, washingmn. D. C4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

THOMAS WALLACE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, HENRY A. BALLENTINE AND EDWARD F. LAWRENCE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-DRIERS.

-Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,2 19, dated October (i, 1863.

To all wiz/0m, it may concern.-

Be it known vthat I, THOMAS VVALLACE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook ard State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Im provementin Grain-Driers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters and ligures marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

In the aforesaid drawings, which are hereunto annexed, Figure l represents a perspective view of my invention; and Fig. 2, a side view thereof, with the wall removed, disclosing the interior arrangements.

The nature ot' my invention consists in constructing a grain-drying' apparatus of two 0r more compartments, arranged one above the other and separated by airtight floors or partitions, and causing the grain to pass along over perforated conveyers through the entire length of each of said air-tight compartments successively, and in admitting heated air into each of said compartments, and allowing the air, after having passed up through the grain, passingalong through said compartments, as aforesaid to escape directly from each compartment without entering the compartments above, thus drying the grain in a much more rapid and perfect manner than can be effected by any other apparatus for the purpose now in use.

lt further consists in a peculiar device-for carrying the grain inthe said conveyers, and for stirring or agita-ting it, so as to allow the heated air to come in contact with it more perfectly than would otherwise bethe case.

It further consists in treating the grain,D after having been sufficiently dried, with a current of cold air, for the purpose of cooling the grain, and leaving it in bet-ter .condition for storage or any other uses.

To enable those skilled in the art fully to understand how to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with particularity, reference being made to the drawings hereunto annexed, in which similar letters denote corresponding parts of my invention in the different figures.

- Ain the said drawings represents a close box or inclosure, within which `the apparatus for conveying and stirring the grain is arranged. The said box A is divided into several-#two or mora-horizontal sections by the horizontal partitions or floors, (marked at a' a? a3 a4,) which extend laterally through the entire width of A, and form the air-tight compartments or chambers marked ,12 3 et 5 in Fig. 2. Passing longitudinally through each of the said air-tight compartments is a series of perforated semieircular troughs or grooves, through and along which the grain is carried, as hereinafter described, (marked E,) the edges of the adjacent troughs being joined together in such a manner as to prevent any air from passing between. Directly above each of said troughs E there is a vshaft arranged parallel to the said grooves E, which is provided with a spiral or screw-shaped projection, (marked bin the drawings,) Whose arrangement is such that when the shaft to which said spiral is attached is revolved the said spiral fits into the perforated groove E, and carries or moves the grain along said" groove from one end of said groove to the other, whence it is discharged through a suitable spout or chute into the compartment below, where the same process is. repeated. There are also 'arranged between the threads of said spiral b upon the said shaft, stirrers or fingers to stir up the grain and admit the air and heat thereto. These stirrers (marked c in t-he drawings) are small Hat pieces of metal inserted into' saidv shaft, whose faces are arranged parallel to the shaft, so as to present the greatest stirringsurfaces to the grain when the said shaft is rcvolved, as hereinafter described. These stirrers are inserted by means of a screw cut thereon in holes drilled for that purpose in the shaft, which shaft, for the purpose of vfacilitating the insertion of said stirrers, I construct hollow, as' it is much easier and a much more rapid operation to perforate the hollow shaft than to drill the solid one. However, the shaft may be made solid it' preferred.

H represents the hopper into which and through Which the grain enters the machine, and G shows the spouts through which the grain falls from one elevation 0r chamber to the one immediately below.

D D D D represent pipes through which hot airis submitted into the grain-drier, one ot' said pipes opening into each end of each of said separate compartments thereof; and d d d represent pipes opening out of each. of said compartments,whe`reby the air escapes therefrom. It will be observed that the pipes D, whereby the air is admitted, are placed below the per foratedchannels, and the pipes d above the same in each of the compartments. The pipe D5, opcnin g into the lower` compartment,is for the purpose of admitting a current or blast of cold air to cool the grain after `having been heated in the process of drying, which cold air passes up through the grain and escapes at the pipe d5, as in the caseof the hot air. 4

G represents the spoilt where the graimaf'- ter having been thoroughly dried aud cooled, passes out ofthe machine.

The pipes D are connected to any suitable hot-air furnace, whereby the machine is supplied with hot-air, and the pipe D5 may be connected with any suitable blowing apparatus for generating a cold-air blast.

At the end ofFig. l is .shown an arrange ment of gear-wheels and a crank, C, whereby all the shafts F are revolved simultaneously.

Gare should be taken to arrange the spiral upon the shafts in such a manner as to convey the grain in the proper direction along the channel, and there may be any number of hori- Zonta] seriesof grooves, and any number of grooves in each series, according to the required capacity of the machine and the length of time required for the grain 'to remain in the machine ,to be thoroughly dried.

When the revolving shafts, arranged as described and shown, vare set in motion by the gearing shown, or any other suitable device, and the hot air admitted into the machine, and the cold blast forced into the lower compartment, then the grain is let into the hopper H, and thence falls into one end of the conveyers in the upper series, in which, by the operation of the spirals b, itis conveyed along to the opposite end thereof, where it falls through the spout Ginto the conveyersin compartment 2, where the same operation is repeated, and so on until the grain goes out of the machine at G. In the meantime the hot-air which goes into the upper compartment passes up through the perforated semicircular channels, and through the grain therein, taking up from the grain and absorbing a portion of the moisture therein, and carrying it away, escaping from the top of the machine or through a suitable pipe made for that purpose, while the grain bein g thus partially dried goes down and vthrough the second compartment, when the hot air admittedinto said second compartment passes up through it, absorbing other portions of the moisture therein, which is carried out through the pipe d, and so on until it is thoroughly dried and passes into the lower compartment orocooler, where it is cooled pre# paratory to passing out ofthe machine at G. By this arrangement the grain is much more perfectly dried than it would be by having the machine consist of a single chamber, as the air admitted into the lower compartment of thedrying arrangement would become surcharged with moisture, and if allowed to pass up through the entire machine would possess but little, if any, drying properties when it should reach the upper series-of conveyers'.

The partition a4 above the cooler should be -of sufficient thickness and of such material as veyers, situated one above the other in sepav ratel air-ti ght compartments, whereby-the grain is carried back andl forth through thev kiln over a series of perforated inclined surfaces in a zigzag course Where a separate hot-air blast is admitted into each of said compartments, arranged and operating as and for the purposes herein described. I

2. The combination and arrangement ofthe perforated troughs E, the revolving-shaft F, provided with the spiral b, an'dstirrers c, and the spur-wheelsB, ruiter-'wheels t' k, shaft 1', heiter-wheels ef, and shaft C, arranged and operating' substantially, as delineated and' de.

scribed.

3. The combination of the reciprocally-arranged `conveyers E F, provided with the spirali, and stirrers c, with 4the air-tight chambers,l 2 3 4:5, 'constructed aud operated as herein shown and specified..

' THOMAS WALLACE.

Witnesses:

W- E- MARES.. J. L. GoBURN. 

